Every few years, Washington dusts off one of its most awkward debates: whether the federal government should continue using Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign targets. The argument has returned again, and like clockwork, it has managed to unite some very strange political bedfellows. Civil libertarians…
Power, Persecution, and the Cross
Yesterday’s U.S. strike against Islamic State–linked militants operating in Nigeria, reportedly carried out with the approval and cooperation of the Nigerian government, landed with the kind of moral thud that foreign-policy decisions rarely avoid. President Trump framed the action in part as a response to violence that has included the targeting of Christians, a claim…
Syria, Sacrifice, and the High Cost We’re Too Quick to Call “Waste”
The deadly attack on American personnel in Syria—and President Trump’s pledge of a decisive response—has once again forced the country to confront a question we never seem to settle: What is worth the cost? Every time U.S. service members are killed abroad, the debate begins almost instantly. Why are we there? What are we gaining?…
Standing with God’s People in an Age of Terror
Today we were reminded once again of the reality of evil in our world. In Manchester, England, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, a man drove a car into worshippers outside a synagogue and then attacked with a knife. Two people lost their lives. Others were injured. Families were left broken.…
What Should America Do About the Renewed Syrian Conflict?
The recent tragic developments in Syria highlight a recurring and difficult question at the heart of U.S. foreign policy: Should America assume the role of global policeman, stepping into conflicts to shape the outcomes and uphold certain values, or should it prioritize its own national interests, limiting involvement in far-off disputes? This dilemma is far…
The Independent Christian Conservative 